The SC; HRC; DPRK; South Sudan

The SC: The Security Council today held its last consultations under the Council Presidency of ROK. Tomorrow, Russia will take over the rotating Presidency of the Security Council for March under Ambassador Vitaly Churkin. The Ambassador will brief journalists on the SC’s program of work for the month on Monday at 12:30.

HRC: The SG’s Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide, Adama Dieng, addressed the Human Rights Council today. He noted that the world is witnessing a dangerous increase in ethnic tensions in various regions, marked by violence in countries such as the DRC, Mali, Sudan and Syria. Michel Sidibé, Executive Director of UNAIDS, also addressed the HRC today, calling on countries to eliminate this disease as a way to combat social injustice.

DPRK: Special Rapporteur on human rights in the DPRK, Marzuki Darusman, and other independent experts are calling for an international inquiry into human rights abuses in DPRK. The investigation would explore human rights abuses connected to the country’s extensive political prison camp system, where hundreds of thousands of prisoners and their families are believed to suffer. The prison camp system, according to the experts, is believed to comprise of at least six camps, each one covering 400 square miles or more, and hold at least 150,000 prisoners. Darusman will present a detailed report on the human rights situation in the DPRK to the HRC on March 11.

South Sudan: UN Humanitarian Coordinator for South Sudan, Toby Lanzer, expressed his deep concern over greater threats to civilians in Jonglei as a result of inter-communal violence and hostilities between multiple armed actors. Lanzer urged the Government of South Sudan to reinforce its ongoing efforts to strengthen law and order and to hold those responsible for such crimes accountable. “I have been informed of attacks on humanitarian actors and the seizure of humanitarian assets and commodities. This must stop,” he said.